Flying Again
by OpalOfWorlds
Summary: Life has changed for Setzer. The joy he used to gain from life's frivolities were now lost to him after the defeat of Kefka. No longer living day to day, Setzer now finds that he yearns for something that he cannot place. Something that gold and silver could not buy.


Chapter 1- A Little House in Jidoor

The cogs and pipes groaned as the the ship began to wake. The steam burst through the vents and the engines began to slowly drone. Mornings were undeniably hard for Setzer. Not only did they require that he get up in the wee hours of the morning, but the sky would be filled with thick fog due to the approaching winter. Because of this, it was a nightmare to get a low flying airship through it especially when the pilot was half asleep. Setzer dragged himself out of his bed and dressed. Thankfully, they would be stopping in Jidoor to replenish their supplies. Maybe he could sneak in a show at the opera later that night. It had been a while since he indulged himself on the finer things.

His thoughts encouraged his steps as he made his way through a series of staircases that led to the top deck of the Falcon. The ship had changed since the demise of Kefka. It had originally been built for speed, but since then had been utilized for shipping goods to cities plagued by the Mad God's denzies. As much as Setzer would say that his actions were nothing but noble, Edgar's funding did spur on some of the gambler's "heroic" efforts.

After spouting out a few orders to his crew, Setzer hurried down to the hold of the ship for breakfast, leaving them to scuttle along the ship and set the course to Jidoor. Within the next few hours, the ship had landed according to schedule, a few yards away from the north entrance of the city. The crew hurried around anchoring the ship so that they could make their way out. With this, Setzer grabbed some gold notes, stuffing them into his silk pockets , debarking from the Falcon.

Setzer made his way through the streets of Jidoor looking through the many shops and galleries, most of which only the finest of men could afford. Hours passed by as he pursued the rich boardwalk with little to show for it. Usually, Setzer would have indulged himself in such finery, but such pleasantries had lost their luster. With a few hours left before dusk, the silver haired man found himself within a small quaint bar on the far side of town with none but a shot of whisky in one hand and the bottle in another.

"Long time no see." said a familiar dusty tone.

The captain smirked, catching a quick glimpse of a blue kerchief in the corner of his eye.

"O? I can't recall the last time I met a master thief.",Setzer replied nonchalantly .

"Treasure hunter."

"Robber."

"Relic enthusiast."

Smiles teased across their faces as they patted each other on the back and shook hands.

"You're sarcasm never ceases to amuse me.", Locke beamed.

"What brings you to Jidoor?" Setzer asked taking a swig of his whisky then handing the bottle to Locke.

"Heard some rumor about some of the caves in the mountains just north of here."the hunter replied also taking a sip of the drink., "How 'bout you?"

"Not much. The ship was running low on supplies, so we stopped here."

"Ah. You could have done that anywhere! Knowing you though I shouldn't be surprised. Have you bought out every store in Jidoor yet? Or is it your off day?"

Setzer spread out his hands as if to indicate the lack of items on his person.

"Oh really?" Locke asked shocked, "Not feeling it I suppose?"

"We got here late, most of the stores were closed by then.", he lied.

Locke paused for a moment as if wanting to say something, but instead drummed his fingers on the wood of the bar. After an awkward silence, Setzer started,

"Narshe.", he began as Locke turned his gaze to the man.

"The inhabitants are waiting for their rations from Figaro until they can support themselves." Setzer finished.

"So you're runnin' errands for the king now? How noble of you." Locke laughed. The captain gave the man a scowl before taking another shot of his whisky.

"His highness needed a ship, I needed the money. Nothing else to it." Setzer scoffed.

The younger man chuckled at the captain's predicament and poured more liquid into Setzer's glass.

Time passed as the two shared stories between another bottle of whisky. Gradually, the men fell to the effects of the stuff and drunken babble insued.

"How long are you going to be in port?" Locke yelled in a drunken stupor.

In his drunkenness, Setzer held up three fingers, unable to speak in a proper intelligible way.

"Ah! So you'll be here awhile!"

The older man grimaced at Locke's noisy manner. The thief tended to get very loud when drunk as if he lost his hearing as the night went on. Locke just stood there gulping down the golden liquid before passing out on the table. Setzer slowly followed suit, laying his head across the wooden bar. The scene before him began to blur from falling asleep at the bar and waking up in a small bed. The smell of cooking meat and bread wafted across the small room as the stench of alcohol wavered on his clothes. The corners of his lips tipped into a light smile as he remembered last night. He had almost forgot how wonderful it felt to be around his old friend again. As soon the the feeling faded a sharp pain erupted from him head reminding him the copious amount of drink he had consumed.

"You going to get up and eat with us or sleep off your ale?" a feminine voice asked beyond the doorway. Setzer peered over the bedpost and saw the golden haired commander standing there with a smile upon her pink lips.

"Come on. Locke is downstairs already." Celes nodded, beckoning him to follow.

Begrudgingly, he made his way downstairs into a small kitchen where breakfast was laid out in quite a handsome fashion. The table was spread with bread, sausages, bacon, and eggs.

"What's the occasion?" Setzer inquired.

"Locke said he was coming and so I wanted to make a little something. He just didn't tell me we had another guest." Celes replied giving a side glance to the groggy Locke.

Now he knew why Locke was in Jidoor.

"You're not here for that kind of treasure, are you Cole?" the captain smirked.

"W-What?! I-I am! Wait-!" the thief stuttered, flustered by the airship captain's sudden remark. Setzer let out a small chuckle and began to eat.

"You sly dog."

Locke looked at the man with a small grimace on his face. Celes looked over at him with a knowing smile before sitting down to eat.

"I saw Terra recently." Celes said taking a bite of egg.

"Really? How she doing?" Locke asked while reaching for the butter.

"She's doing well. The kids are proving to be a handful though. Hopefully, Edgar will pull through and send her supplies. It would be nice to see Mobliz up and running again."

"It would.I wouldn't doubt it has crossed his mind. You've seen the way he looks at her."

Celes swiftly batted at Locke's shoulder, giving him a stern man quickly turned the subject around,

" Hey!,Setzer! Have you visited Terra yet?"

The captain froze and his heart sank. He hadn't seen Terra since he dropped her off in Mobliz a year and a half ago.

"You have seen her since we defeated Kefka, haven't you Setzer." Celes asked looking directly into his eyes..

"No." Setzer replied blandly.

"You haven't gone to see her?!" Locke gawked in disbelief.

"It's been over a year!"

"I've been busy." the captain retorted aggressively buttering his toast.

"Edgar can't keep you that busy. She probably misses you." Celes replied.

"She probably misses the airship.", he replied thinking back at how much the young girl had loved sitting at the bow of the ship letting the air flow across her forest green tresses.

"Terra would be thrilled to see you. You did save her after all. Think of how hard it is for her to get out and see us. She can't just get up and leave with all those mouths to feed." Locke retorted.

Setzer looked at Locke with a solemn eye before sipping his coffee. Two pairs of eyes stared the man down before he finally gave in.

"I'll head to Mobliz after I deliver the shipment to Narshe." the man replied.

"I'm sure she'll love seeing you again." Celes smiled gleefully.

After finishing his meal, Setzer thanks them for breakfast and made his way back to his three days went by fast. At the end of the last day, Setzer bid his final aidus to Celes and Locke before departing to the snowy city of Narshe. The journey was a treacherous one considering the climate around Narshe was fairly cold and snowy. The ship had problems mostly with the harsh storms. The ice was brutal on the engines, but with the crew's diligence, they kept the cold at bay. Other than the occasional case of frostbite, the trip came to an end without any major complications.

Once they had arrived, they were welcomed warmly by Narshe's inhabitants. Everyone seemed happy that the supplies had arrived and they thanked the airship captain profusely for the aid, leaving Setzer's heart in a uneasy knot.

When the day came for them to leave, the knot had only tightened. Soft green hair filled his waking vision. Should he go back to Figaro and receive his next orders or should he visit the girl who changed his life forever? Locke's words stuck with him like sap.

Terra would be thrilled to see you. You did save her after all.

Would she? Would she be happy to see me? He thought.

Having made up his mind, Setzer set a course to Mobliz. What was there to lose?


End file.
